ABA Committee Approves Proposed Changes in Law School Accreditation Standards

An ABA committee has voted to approve a package of proposed changes in the law school accreditation standards covering facilities, equipment, technology, libraries and information services. The proposed changes, unanimously approved Friday by the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s Standards Review Committee, will be presented to…

Nov 20, 2012 2:50 PM CST

En Banc 6th Circuit Overturns Voter-Mandated Affirmative Action Ban in Michigan

An en banc federal appeals court has struck down a voter-approved ban on affirmative action in Michigan as a violation of the equal protection clause. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban on affirmative action in university admissions placed an unfair burden on supporters of racial…

Nov 16, 2012 1:22 PM CST

Judge Dismisses Alumni Lawsuits Against Two Chicago Law Schools

A judge has dismissed class-action lawsuits against two Chicago law schools by graduates who alleged that they were tricked into attending by the schools’ misleading post-graduation job prospects. Cook County, Ill., Circuit Judge Mary Mikva, in a pair of rulings Friday, threw out the alumni suits against John Marshall Law…

Nov 12, 2012 9:02 PM CST

See the Video: Driver Uses Sidewalk to Get Around School Bus, Is Busted; Plea Requires ‘Idiot’ Sign

A Cleveland woman who reportedly had more than once used the same stretch of sidewalk to pass a stopped school bus has taken a plea after being brought to justice with the help of a cellphone video taken by the bus driver and a Sept. 11 police sting. Originally charged…

Nov 6, 2012 5:05 PM CST

Ex-Penn State Prez Faces Perjury, Obstruction, Child-Endangerment Case re Sandusky’s Child Sex Abuse

Saying that the ousted president of Pennsylvania State University headed a “conspiracy of silence” that enabled a longtime assistant football coach at the school to sexually abuse boys for more than a decade, the Pennsylvania attorney general announced Thursday that Graham Spanier is being criminally charged. If convicted of all…

Nov 1, 2012 5:08 PM CDT

Ala. Educators Oppose Proposal to Delete Separate-But Equal-Mandate from State Constitution

A proposal to amend Alabama’s lengthy constitution to delete language providing for separate-but-equal schools is being opposed by educators who fear the proposal could impact funding. The proposed amendment going before voters next week is facing some opposition because it keeps in place language denying a right to an education…

Nov 1, 2012 11:50 AM CDT

Top Court in Massachusetts Will Hear ‘Under God’ Pledge Case Citing State Constitution

The top court in Massachusetts has agreed to decide whether public schools are violating state equal protection guarantees by requiring students to recite the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court agreed last week to hear the suit by an atheist family, the Washington Post’s…

Nov 1, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Site Unseen: Schools, Bosses Barred from Eyeing Students’, Workers’ Social Media

Nov 1, 2012 8:10 AM CDT

Duncan School of Law Drops Lawsuit Against ABA Over Accreditation Denial

Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law has dropped its federal antitrust suit against the ABA over the denial of its bid for provisional accreditation. The school, which has also withdrawn its appeal of a decision before an ABA appeals panel affirming the denial of its application, will file a…

Oct 30, 2012 8:51 PM CDT

Law School Says Lead Plaintiff in Job Stats Suit Against It Turned Down a Full-Time Law Firm Job

A California woman who says she can’t find work as a lawyer and is suing the law school she graduated from turned down a $60,000-a-year job from a Southern California law firm shortly after graduation, Thomas Jefferson School of Law says in a court filing. Anna Alaburda, the lead plaintiff…

Oct 30, 2012 2:00 PM CDT

DOJ Suit Claims Miss. Town Runs ‘School-to-Prison Pipeline,’ Says Flatulence Can Net Jail Time

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit claiming students in Meridian, Miss., are arrested on the recommendation of school officials and jailed for days at a time without a probable cause hearing, regardless of the severity of the alleged offense. The suit claims authorities in Meridian and Lauderdale County…

Oct 25, 2012 2:19 PM CDT

Former Law School Employee Says in Sworn Statement She Was Pressured to Inflate Graduates’ Job Stats

A former assistant career services director at Thomas Jefferson School of Law has admitted to padding the school’s 2006 graduate employment data to include unemployed graduates who had been employed at any time since graduation. Karen Grant, who held the job for one year in 2006 and 2007, says she…

Oct 24, 2012 7:59 PM CDT

Temporary Injunction Allows Cheerleaders’ Bible Verse Banners

A Texas judge has issued a temporary injunction that permits cheerleaders in the small town of Kountze to display Bible verses on banners at football games. Judge Steven Thomas of Hardin County ordered (PDF) the injunction on Thursday and set a June trial date, report the New York Times and…

Oct 19, 2012 12:37 PM CDT

Girls’ Hoops to Get Equal Prime-Time Play in Southeast Indiana; 7th Circuit Refused to Toss Case

Girls who play basketball at 10 high schools in Southeast Indiana will play as many “prime-time” games as the boys because of a consent decree in a Title IX lawsuit. Lawyer William Groth, who represented plaintiff Amber Parker, says the case sets a precedent because of a ruling (PDF) earlier…

Oct 18, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

In Affirmative Action Arguments, Roberts Presses for Answers on Diversity ‘Critical Mass’

In oral arguments on affirmative action in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy indicated he was troubled by the University of Texas’ efforts to admit more minorities, but he wasn’t nearly as critical as other conservatives on the court. Kennedy’s vote will likely…

Oct 11, 2012 12:18 PM CDT